Tripathi ton ensures three points for Maharashtra

Rahul Tripathi, Maharashtra's 24-year-old middle-order batsman, played sensibly through a tense morning session to help them seal three points. Then he went on to score his second first-class century, playing his 14th match. Maharashtra began the day needing 75 runs with five wickets in hand and the new ball nine overs away, but lost the more aggressive Chirag Khurana early. Tight and intense, but not threatening, bowling followed. Tripathi absorbed all the pressure, and was helped along by an industrious No. 8, Shrikant Mundhe, who had also contributed with three wickets on a deceptively flat surface.

After taking a 91-run lead, Maharashtra pushed Rajasthan to the brink with three wickets by the time they came back into credit. All three Rajasthan batsmen who fell, though, appeared shocked at the belated decisions. It was, admittedly, hard to tell if the umpires had made a mistake, except that when left-hand batsman Vaibhav Deshpande fell lbw, he did so to a right-arm seamer bowling over the wicket and to a ball pitched short of a length. Rajasthan now hoped captain Ashok Menaria and import Rajat Bhatia could hang in for one point.

Rajasthan began the day thinking they could use Nathu Singh before the new ball which is generally handed to Deepak Chahar and Aniket Choudhury. But the young quick who has been selected for Board President's XI let the side down. His first over went for 10 runs. It could have been worse had Khurana successfully flicked away a leg-side half-volley. Rajasthan changed plans, and brought on Choudhury and Chahar. They bowled tight spells, five runs came in the next five overs, the pressure built, and then Chahar took a splendid overhead return catch off a leading edge to send Khurana back.

With two overs to go to the new ball, Rajasthan went to Nathu again, who again provided a drive ball and two no-balls to give Maharashtra the fillip they needed. That meant Rajasthan had to go back to their other two trusted bowlers, who had already bowled for a bit. Choudhury got four really good deliveries in, but the fifth trickled off the edge to third man for four and the sixth was driven by Mundhe through cover for four. Chahar bowled from the other end, and he bowled too full too. Tripathi drove him for four and three first two balls. With 15 runs off four balls, Maharshatra had taken decisive steps towards tipping over Rajasthan's 318 and claiming the lead.

Curiously Ashok Menaria didn't use the left-arm spin of Kukna Ajay until the lead had been conceded, two hours into the day's play. Even on day two, when Kukna had taken two wickets in three overs, his end was changed. Choudhury was used for eight straight overs at the top of the innings. Nathu, who had bowled four overs before lunch on day two, was used for the whole hour after the break. Menaria will have to revisit his captaincy.

There was nothing missing in Tripathi's application, though. In the 94th over of the innings, he punched Nathu in front of point for two runs that put Maharashtra into lead. The dressing room applauded, but Tripathi, who was 76 off 179 now, acknowledged it with just one glance towards them. His celebration came with a pulled boundary next ball. Menaria now went to spin, and on cue Kukna produced the wicket, but by then Mundhe had done his job with 37 runs off 77 balls.

Tripathi went to work towards his century now, and only after reaching his century - a chip over mid-off - did he play some adventurous shots. He finally fell for 119 off 250 balls.